Bellevue's Jalen Santoro hands the baton to Kyle Norman during the district track and field championships at Oak Harbor High School on Friday, May 24, 2013.

Written by

Kevin Shields
Sports writer

Mark Twain coined the phrase, "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

Bellevue's Jalen Santoro never has been a big dog, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing in at 155 pounds soaking wet. But even if he doesn't have the size of a prizefighter, his fight and competitive desire have always seemed to carry himself and his teams further than anyone could imagine.

"Jalen is one of those rare athletes that comes around once in a lifetime," Bellevue track coach and assistant football coach Nick Lilli said. "He had a special career in all three of his sports. For a kid ...